Tuscaloosa could be up Lebowski's alley

Thanks to a blog on estately.com, Tuscaloosa is one of “The 11 Most Lebowski-Friendly Cities.” In a scene from the 1998 movie “The Big Lebowski,” Jeff Bridges, left, who plays the slothful Jeffrey Lebowski, aka The Dude, is with bowling buddies Walter Sobchak, John Goodman, right, and “Donny” Kerbatsos, played by Steve Buscemi, center.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

By Mark Hughes CobbStaff Writer | The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Monday, September 9, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 11:57 p.m.

Druid Dudes have long known Tuscaloosa abides, but thanks to a blog on estately.com, even strangers in the Alps can find the Druid City has been picked as one of “The 11 Most Lebowski-Friendly Cities.”

Estately blogger Ryan Nickum sought places where, if Jeffrey (the little Lebowski, aka The Dude) were to be evicted from his rent-skyrocketing Venice Beach lodgings, he might find copacetic new digs.

“I tried to find places that were pretty laid-back,” said Nickum, who works out of Seattle, which made the list partly from The Dude's former ties to the Seattle Seven, the radical anti-Vietnam war group, but also because of its “The Big Lebowski”-centered Dude Fest and liberal marijuana laws. “We also weighted it if you could buy liquor in grocery stores, as opposed to just state-run liquor stores.

“And bowling alleys were extremely important.”

Nickum didn't know much about Alabama, but he saw articles from The Tuscaloosa News and its Tusk magazine, linked on the blog, about Tuscaloosa Abides, this city's annual festival dedicated to gentle veneration of the stoners-meet-Raymond-Chandler comedy, which grew in cult love over the years since its 1998 theatrical release. He also liked that Business Insider, back in 2010, named Tuscaloosa the No. 1 “Laziest City in America,” based on low rates of exercise and high rates of TV-watching. Also fat content.

“Tuscaloosa seemed like a town where people keep things in perspective,” Nickum said. “You like your food a little less healthy. People aren't working 70-hour work-weeks like up here in Seattle.”

Nickum's post reads, in part: “You may be thinking Tuscaloosa is out of its element, but the Alabama city most certainly belongs on this list of dude-friendly cities....The Dude's lifestyle of taking 'er easy would fit well with a city where 29.9 percent of residents don't exercise. Despite its slothful ways the city is highly motivated when it comes to celebrating the glory that is 'The Big Lebowski.'”

Bo Hicks, who created and runs Tuscaloosa Abides through wellthatscool.com, enjoyed the honor via Facebook virtual high-fives. Nickum hadn't contacted him, so Hicks found out when everyone else did, mid-week.

“I was honored but not completely surprised, because I would like to think Tuscaloosa has a little Dude in it, a little Dudeist community,” he said.

The next Tuscaloosa Abides will roll around in March; Hicks warns “We might not have many marmots.” His Druid City Brewing Company will whip up a special beer for the event, something approximating a White Russian, the Dude's beverage of choice, following the in-vogue trend for beer cocktails. Hicks hopes the notoriety drives up numbers for the costume contest.

“I'm still holding out hope for a pinky toe, a Creedence tape, or a full-on Viking outfit,” he said.

Otherwise, Tuscaloosa Abides will likely follow the same groove, with Wii bowling, trivia and of course a showing of the Coen brothers' cult classic, all in the Bama Theatre.

<p>Druid Dudes have long known Tuscaloosa abides, but thanks to a blog on estately.com, even strangers in the Alps can find the Druid City has been picked as one of “The 11 Most Lebowski-Friendly Cities.”</p><p>Estately blogger Ryan Nickum sought places where, if Jeffrey (the little Lebowski, aka The Dude) were to be evicted from his rent-skyrocketing Venice Beach lodgings, he might find copacetic new digs.</p><p>“I tried to find places that were pretty laid-back,” said Nickum, who works out of Seattle, which made the list partly from The Dude's former ties to the Seattle Seven, the radical anti-Vietnam war group, but also because of its “The Big Lebowski”-centered Dude Fest and liberal marijuana laws. “We also weighted it if you could buy liquor in grocery stores, as opposed to just state-run liquor stores.</p><p>“And bowling alleys were extremely important.”</p><p>Nickum didn't know much about Alabama, but he saw articles from The Tuscaloosa News and its Tusk magazine, linked on the blog, about Tuscaloosa Abides, this city's annual festival dedicated to gentle veneration of the stoners-meet-Raymond-Chandler comedy, which grew in cult love over the years since its 1998 theatrical release. He also liked that Business Insider, back in 2010, named Tuscaloosa the No. 1 “Laziest City in America,” based on low rates of exercise and high rates of TV-watching. Also fat content.</p><p>“Tuscaloosa seemed like a town where people keep things in perspective,” Nickum said. “You like your food a little less healthy. People aren't working 70-hour work-weeks like up here in Seattle.”</p><p>Nickum's post reads, in part: “You may be thinking Tuscaloosa is out of its element, but the Alabama city most certainly belongs on this list of dude-friendly cities....The Dude's lifestyle of taking 'er easy would fit well with a city where 29.9 percent of residents don't exercise. Despite its slothful ways the city is highly motivated when it comes to celebrating the glory that is 'The Big Lebowski.'”</p><p>Bo Hicks, who created and runs Tuscaloosa Abides through wellthatscool.com, enjoyed the honor via Facebook virtual high-fives. Nickum hadn't contacted him, so Hicks found out when everyone else did, mid-week.</p><p>“I was honored but not completely surprised, because I would like to think Tuscaloosa has a little Dude in it, a little Dudeist community,” he said. </p><p>The Tuscaloosa post, alongside generally bigger cities such as Minneapolis, Minn.; Austin, Texas; Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Honolulu and Chicago, used last year's two-faced (The Dude and Walter) playing-card Tuscaloosa Abides poster, crafted by Yellowhammer Creative.</p><p>The next Tuscaloosa Abides will roll around in March; Hicks warns “We might not have many marmots.” His Druid City Brewing Company will whip up a special beer for the event, something approximating a White Russian, the Dude's beverage of choice, following the in-vogue trend for beer cocktails. Hicks hopes the notoriety drives up numbers for the costume contest.</p><p>“I'm still holding out hope for a pinky toe, a Creedence tape, or a full-on Viking outfit,” he said. </p><p>Otherwise, Tuscaloosa Abides will likely follow the same groove, with Wii bowling, trivia and of course a showing of the Coen brothers' cult classic, all in the Bama Theatre.</p><p>“If anybody's got suggestions, we're all ears,” Hicks said.</p><p></p>